Taken from Lynne’s weekly column ‘Green Scene’ for the Western Mail
23rd February 2019
A Bird in the Hand
Last week I rescued a little blue tit from the middle of a road. It was obviously too weak to fly but looked reasonably strong otherwise. I kept him as warm as I could all day and brought him home with me after work. He sadly passed away that evening. I am getting worse as I get older with regard to losing animals, and just find it heartbreaking, so I rang Caerphilly Bird Rescue to ask what I could have done differently.
What lovely people. Carol & Ray Gravenor have been rescuing birds for 20 years and it all started when a neighbour took a badly injured magpie to them, as they had two little ducklings in their garden. Carol looked everywhere for help with the magpie, with Mark Evans of Valley Vets eventually helping out. The magpie had treatment for a broken wing and went on to spend 16 years with Carol and Roy. ‘Pie’, as they named it, also inspired them to set up a Bird Rescue facility. Carol said,” We were just meant to do this work. I had to learn quickly, and it has actually got a little easier with social media, but it is still only the two of us doing all the work.”
Carol explained to me that my little blue tit would have been last years juvenile and would have struggled to cope with an extreme change in weather. Apparently a whopping two thirds of juveniles die every winter due to adverse weather conditions that they are not equipped to cope with. She said that the best thing to have done was to keep it warm, preferably with a heat pad or hot water bottle, for about 12/15 hours and then they would have given it liquid feed and antibiotics. There was a limit to what I could have done. If at all possible, the best course of action is to keep the bird warm and get it to them as soon as possible.
I was still upset at the loss, but Carol also wisely reassured me that if a bird is showing signs of illness to that degree, it is unlikely to survive. They only display weakness as a last resort as it makes them vulnerable to prey. Honestly – she is an incredible woman – and full of knowledge.
They have rescued 15 owls this winter. Owls aren’t waterproof, so won’t fly in the rain. They will literally sit in a barn waiting for flyable weather and get weaker and weaker as they wait. Heartbreaking.
In the summer months, Carol and Ray can have as many as 40 rescues per week and rely totally on donations to help them do their wonderful work. She also goes into schools to educate children about looking after our birds. You can find out more on Facebook or call 07807 944182 if you need help with a rescue.
Please help them to help more of our feathered friends. Thank you.
Garden Gruntings
Thank God for a few sunny days and blue skies recently. Valentine’s Day was the warmest for 20 years and our own balmy Bala hit 16C (61F) – more than double the usual February average of seven degrees. My bees have been flying, there are two (premature) lambs in the field next door and the daffs are taking centre stage from the snowdrops.
I am looking forward to getting some proper gardening done this spring. For the last few months, all I seem to have done is ‘grunt gardening’, so called because it makes me grunt! There has been a lot of hedge cutting (and laying) – reducing big, old, unruly hedges – and always hawthorn and blackthorn. Days have been spent cutting and tushing brash to a bonfire, and the evenings spent digging thorns out of my hands.
“Skin is thin at your age,” observed my brother.
One of the redeeming factors is the bonfire that inevitably accompanies a ‘hedge hammering’ – and the conversations we have leaning on long handled forks around them. One lunchtime Jeremy Vine was investigating ‘mindfulness.’
“What is mindfulness? I’ll tell you what mindfulness is,” spat my brother. “Thinking. It used to be called thinking.”
“I think it’s more about being in the present,” I mused, turning the ends of the fire in. “Not worrying about the future and not living in the past. Just being in the moment.”
“Zackly,” he snorted, flicking his dog end on to the fire. “Thinking.”
Roses Grow on You
I have just ordered a dozen bare rooted shrub roses for a client; they are much cheaper bare rooted than potted up at this time of year. Peter Beales offer bare root roses to order at any time of year, but they will not be delivered until the bare root season, which usually runs between November 1st and March 31st. During the winter months, roses enter into a dormant state, so can be safely lifted and sold as bare root plants. Traditionally this has always been thought to be the prime time for purchasing and planting roses, as a rose planted during this dormant period will have time to put down a strong root system, before concentrating their energy into flower production during the summer months.
I chose ten large pink and white shrub roses, with strong scent, to create a fragrant hedge at the back of a client’s garden. I’m looking forward to planting them next week – a little creative gardening at last! For a great choice of roses, visit www.classicroses.co.uk or www.davidaustinroses.co.uk.
Ta xx